"Energy security and the role of natural gas"

An opinion piece from the Energy Policy Information Center, a project of Securing America's Future Energy summarizes a couple of news articles:

• The Wall Street Journal reports plummeting natural gas prices due to a glut. One solution is more natural gas-fired power plants (read the WSJ article here).
• A Bloomberg article reports that Chrysler says they will begin selling natural gas-powered pickup trucks this year. (full Bloomberg article here).

Backbone Network for America's Natural Gas Highway

"The route plan for the first phase of 150 new LNG fueling stations for America's Natural Gas Highway (ANGH) was unveiled by Clean Energy Fuels Corp., the leading provider of natural gas fuel for transportation in North America."

Scheduled for completion during 2012 and 2013, the 150 first-phase stations coincide with the expected arrival of new natural gas truck engines well suited for heavy-duty, over-the-road trucking. Engine manufacturers and original equipment truck manufacturers such as Cummins-Westport, Kenworth, Peterbilt, Navistar, Freightliner and Caterpillar are expected to have Class-8 trucks available in engine sizes allowing for varied road and driving requirements.

"We are moving quickly to build this important network in order to support the new trucks," said Andrew J. Littlefair, Clean Energy's President and CEO. "Already, Clean Energy has engaged over 100 shippers, private fleets and for-hire carriers that have shared their operations to qualify the economic opportunity of operating natural gas trucks, which has helped us, in turn, plan the first phase of the natural gas fueling highway."

We need to solve the problem in 2012

In 2011, so far, we are still depending on OPEC for 43 percent of our imported oil. We're paying a high price for it. The national security risk is the same. We need to get on our own resources and pick domestic over OPEC.

App For First Responders

The First Responders QRG app is designed to provide essential information about alternative fuel vehicles at the scene of an accident.

This first responder quick reference guide, developed by the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC), is a tool for emergency personnel who need to access information about alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles at an accident scene. This app contains information on advanced technology vehicles such as hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery, and fuel cell electric vehicles, as well as vehicles powered by alternative fuels such as biodiesel, ethanol, natural gas, propane, and hydrogen. You will find detailed, vehicle-specific information including identification mechanisms, disconnect procedures, and other special concerns. Although similar, each vehicle has distinct differences that make it unique, and first responders need to know and understand these differences. The NAFTC understands the hazards that alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles could pose to emergency personnel, and this app, along with our entire suite of First Responder Safety Training products, provides first responders with the information needed to safely respond to an accident involving one of these vehicles. This app can be used on both the iPhone and the iPad.

End of the Year Push Needed to Help Pass Bipartisan NAT GAS Act

As most of you know, the Coachella Valley was the first community in the U.S. to have its transit agency convert overnight to 100% clean-burning natural gas buses. Diesel buses were parked forever the day the natural gas fleet rolled into operation.

From that humble start, a network of natural gas fueling stations was developed valley-wide. That enabled the deployment of a fleet of natural gas fueled paratransit vehicles. Next came the installation of a liquefied natural gas fueling station, which enabled the local trash hauler to convert its fleet to LNG. The dominos continued to fall until we boasted the densest concentration of natural gas fueling stations and alternative fueled vehicles per capita in the nation.

Well, a new report by the National Petroleum Council (NPC) has confirmed what we’ve long suspected: not only do we have an abundance of natural gas in the U.S., “we can meet ANY projected demand through [at least] 2035.” That means a quarter of a century from now, we’ll have as much clean burning natural gas available as we have today.

Please urge your member of Congress to support the bipartisan Natural Gas Act (HR1380 in the House and S1863 in the Senate). This bill has numerous benefits including:

• Economic (jobs and taxes)
  
  
• Environment (lower emissions)
  
  
• National security (reduce OPEC imports)

Natural gas is the ideal fleet fuel. We know it works because we’ve been there, done that. Write them today!

Suzanne Seivright
Richard Cromwell III

Exxon Declares (natural) Gas King

"Natural gas will replace coal as the leading fuel for generating electricity in the U.S. by 2025, when it will also become the world's No. 2 overall fuel source thanks to its abundance and a drive for cleaner-burning energy, according to the latest long-term outlook from Exxon Mobil Corp." This is a Wall Street Journal article that is available to their paid subscribers. Non-subscribers may be able to access it via Google News.

2011 Clean Cities Coordinator Regional Peer Exchange

November 14-17, 2011, in Dallas, Texas. Conference Proceedings and Presentations.